Continuous treating apparatus for sheet material



April 15,1959 MATAICHI TAJIMA 3,438,621

CONTINUOUS TREATING APPARATUS FOR SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 22, 1966 Sheet of 2 MATAICHI TAJIMA ATTORNEYS IN VEN TOR.

April 15, 1969 MATAICHI TAJIMA 3,438,521

CONTINUOUS TREATING APPARATUS FOR SHEET MATERIAL Filed June 22. 1966 Sheet 2 of 2 JNVENTOR.

MATA\CH\ TAJIMA ATTORNEYS United States Patent US. Cl. 271-3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus and a method for the continuous transfer of sheet material, which comprises a pair of opposed rollers between which the leading edge of a sheet may be engaged, a stop means against which said leading edge abuts when the trailing edge of the sheet is disengaged from the rollers, a guide for maintaining the sheet in a flexed curved position between the nip of the rollers and the stop, and apparatus for reengaging the sheet so as to permit its withdrawal from its curved position, said withdrawal apparatus being capable in a first embodiment, of functioning as the stop means and in a second embodiment, being the same apparatus as said pair of opposed rollers.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for continuously treating sheet material.

There are many kinds of processes which involve sending sheet materials, one after another, into a treating tank. For example, such procedures may be followed in plate making, imprinting, etching in nameplate or printed circuit making, dyeing of articles, treating for light sensitive materials and so on.

Prior devices for taking sheet material into a tank and out of it, after finishing, have relied upon reciprocal movement of the sheet material. But this method has the fault that the apparatus for treating the sheet materials continously is so complex, is apt to be damaged and is high in price. Furthermore, the apparatus requires means for grasping an edge of the sheet material and as a result a part of the sheet material is apt to be injured or is not treated.

It is an objective of this invention to remove the aforementioned faults and provide an automatic apparatus which is able to send the sheet material into a treating tank and take it out easily, after a predetermined time of treating.

The invention provides apparatus for introducing one or a series of sheets of somewhat flexible material to a station where the sheet material may be acted upon by various treating agents. The feed means for the individual sheets is preferably a pair of opposed rollers between which the leading edge of the sheet is engaged. Upon rotation of the rollers, the sheet is advanced to the sation.

Upon reaching the station, the trailing edge of the sheet is disengaged from between the rollers, but remains immediately adjacent to and may abut the nip of the feed rollers. Means may be provided to discontinue rotation of the feed rollers while the sheet is at the station. Otherwise rotation of the feed rollers in the same direction may be continued, since this will prevent reengagement of the sheet between the rollers.

Guide means are preferably provided to maintain the sheet in a curved flexed attitude while at the station. The guide means may take the form of a curved support against which the leading edge is fed and which guides the sheet into a curved configuration. Also, curved channel means surrounding the opposite side edges of the sheet, or other equivalent structure may provide the guide function. Stop means are provided against which the leading edge of the sheet abuts, after the sheet has been released by the feed rolls. The stop means may comprise the nip of an idle pair of rollers, a V-shaped element between the arms of which the leading edge is embraced, or other equivalent structure. Due to the curved, flexed attitude of the sheet while at the station there is a slight but significant pressure by the leading and trailing edges of the sheet towards the stop means and the nip of the feed rollers, respectively. This is due to the tendency of the flexed sheet to re-assume a flat condition.

Where the stop means is a pair of idle rollers, initiating rotation of the rollers will cause the leading edge to be engaged and the sheet will be withdrawn from the station. Where the stop means is a simple barrier, such as the V-shaped element mentioned above, reversal of the direction of rotation of the feed rollers will cause the trailing edge to be re-engaged and the sheet will be withdrawn from the station.

It should be observed that, while at the station, the surfaces of the sheet are substantially free and unobstructed so that the sheet maybe fully treated and so that damage to the surfaces is minimized. There may be some slight edge contact of the sheet with rollers, stop means, or guide elements, but this is minimal and is quite apart from positive gripping or engagement of the sheet as is common in prior sheet handling devices.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGS. 1 to 5 show sectional elevations of this invention;

FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B) show a principle of the invention;

FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B) and 2(0) are enlarged fragmentary views;

FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B) show embodiments of this invention;

FIG. 4(A) is a plane view of the embodiment, and

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment.

The principle of this invention will be explained hereinafter with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 consists of resilient rolls 1 and 2 and 3 and 4, a guide plate 5 and sheet mateerial 6. FIG. 1(A) shows the sheet material advancing on the guide plate 5 by means of rolls 1 and 2. The sheet material then reaches the position shown in FIG. 1(B). A distance between a point of contact of the rolls 1 and 2 and that of the rolls 3 and 4 is somewhat longer than the length of the sheet material, so that when the forward end of the sheet material touches the rolls 3 and 4, the tail end leaves from the point of contact of the rolls 1 and 2. When the tail end leaves from the point of contact of the rolls 3 and 4, the rolls run idly and the sheet material does not advance. The stoppage of the rolls 3 and 4 causes the sheet material to stop at a point adjacent the point of contact of said rolls. The relations between the rolls and the sheet material are partially shown in FIGS. 2(A), 2(B) and 2(0). It is shown in FIG. 2(A) that the tail end of the sheet material leaves the point of contact of the rolls 1 and 2 and said rolls run idly, so that the sheet material will not be pushed out by the rolls.

In FIG. 2(B) the fore end of the sheet material 6 is butting against a pair of stopped rolls 3 and 4.

Treating may be done while the sheet is in the position shown in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B). After treating is finished rolls 3 and 4 are rotated so that the sheet material will advance again and be taken out of the tank The summary of the operation described in accordance with FIGS. 1 and 2 is as follows:

When the sheet material leaves from a pair of continuously rotating rolls 1 and 2, said sheet butts against a pair of intermittently running rolls 3 and 4, and stops there. While in this situation, single or plural treating agents may be supplied to the sheet material. After treating is finished, the latter rolls 3 and 4 start to run so that the sheet material will be taken out of the tank. The continuously running rolls function as a sheet carrier only when the sheet material is passing through said roll group and, after feeding, it rotates idly. On the other hand the second roll group, in the early stage acts as a stopper (during treating) and acts asa sheet carrier after finishing.

A horizontally constructed embodiment will be described hereinafter, but it is sometimes preferable to use a vertical apparatus.

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of an embodiment. In this embodiment there is shown roll groups 1 and 2, and, 3 and 4, a bottom surface 5 of a tank serving as a guide plate and a piece of sheet material 6, similar to those shown in FIG. 1.

Developer is sent into the tank by means of a pump 8 until level 7 is reached. An exposed polyester base film having 0.2 mm. thickness is fed into the tank and after sec. developing (temperature 30C.) developer is drained by running said pump 8 in opposite direction. Next, fixer is filled and drained for fixing by operating a pump 9. Similarly rinsing is performed by operating a pump 10. In the above operation, fixing is 30 sec. and rinsing 2 min. long respectively. After finishing said operations the film will be taken out from the tank. One film can be treated in about 3 min., and the same dimensioned films can be treated one after another. Furthermore, by setting a continuously operating film feeding apparatus in front of this treating tank the sheet material, such as film strips, can be treated automatically and continuously. Moreover, this embodiment does not need a film holder so that the whole surface of the film can be developed uniformly.

The above-mentioned embodiment is an exam le a plicable to a polyester base photographic film having 0.2 mm. thickness, that is, having proper resiliency.

The next embodiment is suitable for a cellulose acetate base film pack having 0.09 thickness.

The expected object has been effected by using channel shaped guide grooves 15 instead of the guide plate 5 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. In FIG. 4, view (A) shows a plane view and view (B) shows the cross-sectional relation between the film and the channel shaped guide grooves.

If comparing the embodiment of FIG. 3 with the embodiment of FIG. 4, it is common in both embodiments that the resiliency of the sheet material is used, but the sheet material in the embodiment of FIG. 4 is more compliant than the sheet in FIG. 3, so that adjustment is performed by changing the guide means.

Another modification will be described hereinafter as a third embodiment. This embodiment shown in FIG. 5, is so designed that the number of rolls are reduced and the direction for taking out the sheet material is changed. That is to say, the rolls 3 and 4 in FIGS. 1 to 3 are removed and a stopper 16 is mounted.

The operations and functions are as follows:

The sheet material is fed into the tank 21 through feed rolls 17, 18 and rolls 1 and 2, and then after passing through guide 15, the sheet butts against the V-shaped stopper 16.

After finishing the necessary treating, the rolls 1 and 2 are run in the opposite direction so that the sheet material is fed back in the direction of the rolls 19 and 20. When feeding the sheet material into the tank, it advances along the predetermined course, but returns in the direction of the rolls 19 and 20, due to its weight. The directions for taking the sheet in and out of the tank are always the same in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, but the returning direction of the sheet material in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is opposed to the advancing direction.

The ditference above-mentioned may be decided by the differences of the relative means which should be put in front and rear of this apparatus, or of the area of floor. I

In the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, the treating tank and the sheet material is being supported horizontally, but these may be supported in a vertical or inclined direction. In all cases, appropriate means (not shown) will be provided for driving the various rollers in the desired directions at the proper times.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for handling sheet material having leading, trailing and side edges such that said sheet is advanced to and withdrawn from a station with minimum obstruction of the sheet surface while at said station, comprising feed rollers capable of engaging the leading edge of said sheet and capable of advancing said sheet to said station, at which the trailing edge of said sheets is disengaged from said feed rollers, means capable of stopping said sheet and withdrawing said sheet from said sta tion, curved guide means positioned between the feed rollers and said stopping and withdrawing means so as to maintain the sheet between the nip of the feed rollers and said stopping and withdrawing means, such that the pressure between the leading and trailing edges of said sheet caused by the tendency of the flexed, curved sheet to reassume a flat condition enables the withdrawal of said sheet by said stopping and withdrawing means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said reengaging means is a pair of opposing rollers and the flexed curved condition of said sheet is maintained by the pressure between the nip of the feed rollers and the nip of said reengaging opposing rollers.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said guide means is a curved support arranged between said feed rollers and said reengaging means.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said guide means is a pair of channels surrounding the side edges of said sheet.

5. An apparatus for handling sheet material having leading, trailing and side edges such that said sheet material is advanced to and withdrawn from a station with minimum obstruction of the sheet surfaces while at said station, comprising rollers capable of being driven in forward and reverse directions and which are capable of engaging the leading edge of said sheet when driven in its forward direction, thereby advancing said sheet to said station at which the trailing edge of said sheet is disengaged from said rollers, and which are capable of reengaging the trailing edge of said disengaged sheet when driven in its reverse direction, stop means against which said leading edge abuts as the trailing edge is disengaged from said rollers as the sheet is advanced to said station, curved guide means positioned between the feed rollers and said stop means so as to maintain the sheet between the nip of said feed rollers and said stop means, such that the pressure between the leading and trailing edges of said sheet caused by the tendency of the flexed, curved sheet to reassume a flat condition, enables the reengagement of said sheet by said rollers.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said guide means is a curved support arranged between said rollers and said stop means.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said guide means is a pair of channels which surround the side edges of said sheet.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 having a second feed means to feed said sheet to said feed rollers when said feed rollers are driven in its forward direction and having a receiving means positioned below said second feed means for withdrawing said sheet from said feed rollers when said feed rollers are drive-n in its reverse direction.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said second feed means is a pair of rollers which advance the leading edge of said sheet to a point where it is engaged by said feed 6 rollers when said feed rollers are driven in its forward References Cited direction. UNITED STATES PATENTS 10. The apparatus of claim -8 wherein said receiving 2 924 323 2/1960 Holben means is a pair of rollers which engage the trailing edge 3:110:490 12/1963 of said sheet when said feed rollers are driven in its re- 5 verse direction. RICHARD E. AEGERTER, Primary Examiner. 

